NBC Sports Network To Up Rebranding Effort During Premier League Games

NBC Sports Network was known as Versus until the beginning of last year, and is about to adopt a new name: NBCSN. It will be a gradual transition, with new graphics and references phased in leading up to the 2014 Sochi Olympics in February. But the company says that it will “significantly increase” the effort beginning Saturday with its coverage of the Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Stoke City. NBCSN will be used as the “primary mark” for the network. “This is a natural evolution from the longer channel name to the acronym, as NBCSN is streamlined visually and a faster read,” says NBC Sports Group CMO John Miller. Viewers will see an image that says “NBC Sports Network” dissolve into the new logo, with an NBCSN voiceover. “By the Winter Olympics in February, the transformation will be complete, and the Games will be used to solidify NBCSN as the network’s name and brand,” Miller says. At that point the full name, NBC Sports Network, will only be seen from time to time. The Saturday rebranding initiative comes the same weekend that 21st Century Fox introduces Fox Sports 1.